Disfunctional Killers
by Taomi Superbi
Summary: She flinched; cover her face with her arm and bringing her knees to her chest. This is going to hurt! She thought expecting the blow to hit her at any moment. Instead she felt something splatter on her face as she fell to the ground with an audible grunt. She gasped looking at her hand, noticing the flames were gone.
1. Chapter 1 Taomi Superbi

Chapter One:

Taomi Superbi

She sat there, gently pulling the brush through her long, white hair. She sighed and glanced in the mirror, her red eyes glaring back at her. She pushed her bangs out of her eyes and looked towards the window.

"Taomi?" someone said knocking at her door.

"Yes?" Taomi said in her quiet and mellow voice.

"Are you ready?" the lady walked in her room, pulling a baggage cart behind her.

Taomi sighed and picked up her bags. "Yes…I'm ready."

The lady smiled and grabbed the other bags. "Come now, child." She turned and walked out of the room and down the hall.

Taomi sighed and quietly followed. She paused at the door and glanced back at what used to be her room. Her eyes going misty thinking of all the times she sat in this bed wishing for this exact day to come.

"Taomi, is something wrong?" The lady said turning to see it Taomi was following.

Taomi looked over at the lady, slowly blinking the tears out of her eyes. She slowly shook her head. "No…nothing's wrong…" She sighed and followed the lady.

The lady turned the corner and into the lobby, Taomi slowly followed carefully peeking around the corner to see who was there. To see who she would be living with for the rest of her life.

An old lady stood there and glanced at Taomi with a gentle smile on her face. "Hello, my child." She said in a raspy voice.

Taomi stood there looking at the lady, not expecting anything like this. Taomi gawked at the old lady and guessed she was in her mid-sixties, early seventies. Her salt and pepper hair twisted into an elegant bun. Her clothing nothing short of rich and old fashioned, the skirt barely touching the floor. Taomi gulped and held her hand out. "H-hello…I'm Taomi." She said, casting her eyes to the floor.

The lady stood there quietly looking at Taomi with gentle eyes. "You may call me Mrs. Red." She smiled and shook Taomi's hand.

Taomi nodded and took her hand back, gripping her bags tighter.

Mrs. Red straightened her back and turned her attention to Taomi's former caretaker. "Is there anything other than her quietness?"

Taomi's former caretaker cleared her throat. "Not that I know of." She looked at Taomi with a glare.

Taomi shivered and gripped her bag harder making her already pale knuckles go even whiter.

Mrs. Red smiled softly and looked at Taomi. "Do you have all your things?"

Taomi nodded and started towards the door. "Y-yes, Mrs. Red, I'm ready whenever you are."

Mrs. Red nodded her head and turned abruptly towards the door. "Then come, child. We have to hurry."

Taomi sighed and followed her new guardian out the doors and into the parking lot. She paused to take a look back at what used to be her home. Butterflies started dancing in her stomach. She gripped her bag tighter and turned, following the old lady to her car.

A man stood aside the car holding the back passenger side door open, bowing his head to them. "This must be Lady Taomi." The older man said, tipping his black hat with his right index finger and smiling showing his sparkly white teeth. Taomi blushed and handed him her bags.

_She must be one of those fancy rich people I can't stand…_ Taomi thought hopping into the car.

The driver softly shut the door and walked around to the front of the car. He opened the door and hopped in.

"Child…" Mrs. Red said, looking out the window.

"Yes?" Taomi said turning to face Mrs. Red.

"How old are you, exactly?" she said slowly turning towards Taomi.

Taomi turned her head towards the front of the car and watched out of windshield. "I'm fifteen." She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw Mrs. Red nod her head slowly. She turned her head to see Mrs. Red and smiled.

"Lady Taomi, I apologize. I failed to mention my name earlier." The driver said. "My name is Jeffery. I'm the Red Manor's butler."

Taomi looked at Jeffery and smiled. _I was right…she is the rich snobby type. She even has her own butler._ She thought. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jeffery."

Jeffery laughed softly, a raspy throaty sound.

A short while later they pulled into a gated drive way. Taomi looked at the house expecting to see a huge house with lots of decorations splayed across the front yard. Taomi gawked at the house, surprised at what she saw. Nothing outdated, yet not modern. Not a huge mansion, yet not a small cottage. It was an older Victorian style house that had been updated at much as possible. The beige paint complimented the brown roof and shutters alongside the windows.

Jeffery got out and opened Mrs. Red's door, allowing her to step out on the asphalt pavement. Then he quickly walked around and allowed Taomi to exit the vehicle as well. She looked around at her new settings and noticed the fountain in the middle of the circle driveway, simple yet tasteful. "I see you're a fan of the view…" Jeffery said struggling to carry all of Taomi's bags.

Taomi looked at Jeffery and nodded, taking two bags from Jeffery and quietly followed as they walked through the French themed cherry oak wood door and into the house.

Jeffery walked down the hall and made a right around the corner, opening a door at the end of the hall and stepped in. "This, Lady Taomi, shall be your room." He placed the bags on the bed and watched Taomi. "I'll leave you be to put your things away." He walked to the window and slid the curtains aside allowing the sunlight to enter the room. "If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask." Jeffery walked back towards the door and silently shut it, leaving Taomi in the room with her things.

Taomi looked around admiring the interior design. The soft red walls with elegant gold colored candle holder type lights on the wall. A chandelier, with gold vines twisting around it, hung in the center of the room. The bay window, on the far wall, looked out over a lake. Taomi walked to the window and sat on the ledge in front of it. She sat there for a few minutes looking over the back yard, noticing all the trees and how much shade there was. She sighed and walked to her bed, opening her bags and organizing her things. She pulled her clothes out and hung up all her shirts on hangers and hung them in the closet. She returned to the bed and carefully folded her clothes, placing them neatly and carefully into oak dresser. Taomi picked up the freshly emptied bags and stashed them in the far wall of the closet.

A knock on the door caught her attention. She stood up straight and walked out of her closet, carefully shutting the door behind her. "Come in."

Mrs. Red opened the door and stepped into the room, looking around. "Is it to your liking, Taomi?"

Taomi smiled and sat on the bench in front of the window. "Yes it is, I find it very beautiful." She took another look around the room and smiled.

Mrs. Red sighed in relief and sat on the bed. She stayed quiet for a few minutes.

Taomi sat there looking at Mrs. Red, wondering if she should say something to fill the silence or just allow her to think.

Mrs. Red cleared her throat. "Taomi…" she started.

Taomi continued to watch Mrs. Red with curiosity on her face.

Mrs. Red sighed and cleared her throat again. "Do you know anything about your real family?"

Taomi felt the familiar lump in her throat and turned to look out the window. "No." she said in a tight voice.

Mrs. Red turned towards Taomi with a shocked face. "How do you not know _anything_ about your blood family?" She said astounded.

Taomi looked at her with shock on her face. "I was never told anything. I don't even know my real last name!" she said, her temper slowly starting to rise. _How dare this lady speak as if she knows who I am?!_ She thought, clenching her hands into fists in an attempt to keep her anger under control.

Mrs. Red shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry…I only adopted you because I was asked to." She turned her attention to the door.

Taomi blinked and tilted her head in confusion. "You were…asked to? May I ask who asked you to adopt me?"

Mrs. Red continued staring at the door.

"Mrs. Red?" Taomi said trying to get her attention.

Mrs. Red sighed and turned towards Taomi. "First, let me say this. I tried for the past fifteen years to find you Taomi…" she said blinking tears out of her eyes.

Taomi's patience was slowly diminishing. She started tapping her foot on the floor, a sign that she was beginning to get annoyed by this old lady's way of talking.

Mrs. Red coughed and continued. "I've been friends with your father since he met your mother. After she died…he asked me to take you in. At the time I couldn't take you in, for I had no home. He was forced to give you up. He came to be a few months after he gave you up and begged me to adopt you. I spent a lot of money and time trying to find you. Like I said, it took me fifteen years to hunt you down, Taomi." She started playing with the edge of her shirt staring at the bed. "I jumped on the chance to adopt you and keep my word."

Taomi sat back against the window, carefully watching Mrs. Red's actions.

Mrs. Red looked over at Taomi. "He's still alive you know…"

Taomi shrugged. "Why would I care about someone who gave me up?"

Mrs. Red let out a nervous chuckle and stared at Taomi. "He gave you up because he couldn't stand seeing your mother in you. He said you looked like her clone. I don't see it. I think you look more like your older brother."

Taomi raised her eyebrow. "I have a brother? Did he give him up too?"

Mrs. Red shook her head. "No. He doesn't know about you, as far as I know. He went to a school for kids like you."

Taomi grunted. "Kids like me? What? Is my family considered royalty?"

Mrs. Red chuckled and looked at the chandelier. "No. Your father was in the mafia. Your brother is currently in one of the biggest mafia families around, Vongola."

"And how do you know this?" Taomi asked, allowing venom to coat her words.

"I already told you. I keep in touch with your father." Mrs. Red looked towards the door. "I'll ask him to meet you in person if you wish…"

Taomi shook her head fast. "If he wants to meet me, he can come to me. I'm not going to him."

"If that's the way you want it…" Mrs. Red said sadly.

Taomi ignored her and looked out the window, admiring the view again.

Mrs. Red sighed and stood up. "I'll have Je- -"

"Mrs. Red?" Jeffery said knocking on the door.

"Yes Jeffery?" Mrs. Red said turning to see Jeffery walk into the room.

"I'd hate to bother you but there is someone at the door asking to speak with you." Jeffery made a quick eye movement towards Taomi and back towards Mrs. Red. Normal eyes wouldn't have noticed it but Taomi's did.

"Tell them I will be out in a minute." Mrs. Red said straightening her back and walking out of Taomi's room. She paused at the door and said over her shoulder. "I want you downstairs, presentable, in five minutes." She walked away before Taomi could retort.

Taomi scowled at the door and changed her clothes and walked out into the hall. She turned left at the corner and towards the living room, slowly entering.

"Yes she's in her room getting changed now…" Mrs. Red said. "But…" she cleared her throat. "I do not think she will get along with you too well."

"Why do you say that?" a man's voice said.

Taomi stopped at the entrance and listened to their conversation.

Mrs. Red stayed quiet for a minute. "She…well…doesn't know anything…"

The man coughed and adjusted on the couch. "You said she'd be joining us?"

Glass clinked and Mrs. Red said quietly. "If she joins us, I'll be shocked. She doesn't seem like the kind of girl who would disobey orders."

Taomi rolled her eyes and walked into the room, having heard enough.

Mrs. Red looked up and smiled as Taomi entered the room. "Ah! Taomi! Welcome." She gestured for Taomi to sit on the couch next to the man. "Timeto, this is Taomi."

The old man held his hand out towards Taomi and she reluctantly shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise…" Taomi said.

Jeffery placed a cup of tea in front Taomi's spot on the couch. She looked at it, then to Jeffery, then back to the tea.

Taomi sat on the couch and drank the tea, allowing the hot liquid to flow down her throat.

Mrs. Red sat up in her chair and looked at Timeto and Taomi. "Taomi…this is the man that's the boss of where your brother works…"

Taomi shrugged and placed her cup on saucer plate and back onto the coffee table.

Their conversation went on for some time. Taomi quietly excused herself and walk outside. She sauntered around to the back of the house and down towards the lake. _I wonder how deep it is._ She walked closer to the lake, taking her shoes off and placing her feet into the water, shivering as the cold water slipped above ankles.

A boom in the distance caught her attention. She looked over and saw smoke not far in the distance and heard yelling, the yelling continued getting louder as the voices came closer and closer. Taomi sat there looking at the direction of the voices and all the commotion. A young boy came running out of the clearing as fast as he could. Three men followed him shortly after, running straight forward, not seeming to notice Taomi sitting there watching. One guy tripped and something flew out of his hands, landing a scarce two feet from Taomi. Instinct said to flee. Curiosity said to see what he dropped. She reached her hand out and slid what it was under her shirt and sat there watching the men, wondering what they were doing. "Hey!" she yelled.

The men looked at her shocked to see her standing there. "Shit!" one of them yelled. "How the hell could he have gotten here before us?!" he yelled again, looking behind him. He gripped his hand and gasped. "Where is it?!" he yelled louder.

"Forget it! Let's go!" The brown haired guy said, dragging his friend by the arm.

The young boy stood there in awe, watching the two men flee in fear from Taomi. "If we leave without _it_ then we'll be dead! Boss will kill us!"

"If we fight _him_,_" _The man brown haired guy said, looking around for the thing Taomi had picked up. "He'll kill us!"

Taomi's eye twitched. "I'm not a h- -"

The black haired man on the ground started to frantically look around for whatever it is he'd dropped.

Taomi sighed and stood up, flipping her hair over her shoulder and started walking towards the men, fully enraged.

The three men started freaking. The black haired man noticed Taomi starting towards them. He jumped up and ran towards the other two and they all ran away.

"Wait!" she held up the thing he'd dropped, trying to get their attention to come back and re-claim their object.

The three men continued running away.

She sighed and looked at the red/brown colored bag that she now held in her possession. A draw string held the bag shut tight so whatever was in side, wouldn't fall out. She slid her finger through the leather rope and slowly opened it. She gasped when she looked inside the bag. Quickly closing it, she shoved it into her skirts pocket and ran back towards the house.


	2. Chapter 2 Flames

Chapter Two:

Flames

Mrs. Red knocked on the oak wood door softly. "Taomi…are you ready yet?"

Taomi brushed the winkles out of her shirt and jeans, straightening them as much as she could. She glanced at the dresser where, two weeks before, she'd stashed the brownish red velvet bag so Mrs. Red wouldn't find it. She ran the brush through her hair once more then walked towards the door, opening it to find Mrs. Red standing there in her usual old fashioned clothing. "I'm ready." She stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Mrs. Red walked down the hall and out the front door where Jeffery had the car waiting for the two of them to enter it.

Mrs. Red slid in to the back seat and all the way to the other side. Taomi followed but sat in the first spot by the door Jeffery was holding open. "Mrs. Red?" Taomi asked as Jeffery shut the door.

"Yes?" Mrs. Red replied as she stared out the window.

"You never said where we were going…" Taomi said watching her face carefully.

Mrs. Red turned her head slightly to look at Taomi. "You and Jeffery are taking me to the airport. He's going to stay here with you while I go take care of some business in America." She looked back out the window.

Taomi nodded her head and turned towards her window watching the trees flash by. "And how long do you think you will be gone?" she asked curiously.

"Three months tops."

Taomi leaned her head against the glass attempting to count the trees as they passed.

A half hour flew by and they pulled into the airport parking lot. Jeffery got out of the driver seat and walked around to Mrs. Red's door, allowing her to escape the confinement of the car.

"Now, Taomi," Mrs. Red said turning around to face Taomi. "I'll be back in three months. You will listen to what Jeffery has to say." She said in a warning voice.

"Do not worry, Mrs. Red. I will obey everything Jeffery says." Taomi smiled a sweet smile. _I have no reason to not do as he says…_

Mrs. Red nodded her head and walked into the airport, leaving Taomi and Jeffery there watching as she walked away.

"Now, Lady Taomi, we will be going home. Is there anything you wish to have for dinner?" Jeffery asked exiting the airport parking lot.

Taomi shrugged. "Whatever, you decide to make." She said staring out the window.

Jeffery sighed and continued to drive back towards the house. He pulled into the driveway and parked the car in the garage. He stepped out and walked to the back, allowing Taomi to get out of the car. "Seeing as how it's three hours from dinner, I have to run into town to get some ingredients. I will leave you here and trust that you will behave." Jeffery walked to the door and unlocked it, motioning for Taomi to enter. "I will be back in an hour."

Taomi entered the house and watched as Jeffery pulled back out of the garage and onto the pavement. She shut the door and walked into the kitchen, fetching a glass from the cabinet and filling it with water. She stood there, slowly drinking the water staring out the lake. Movement by the far edge of the wood line caught her attention. She turned to see what it was. Two men were walking out of the woods, one was short and looked to be in his teens, and the other was tall with black haired and looked familiar. She stepped out into the yard and walked towards the three men.

"DAMN IT! Where is it?!" The black haired man yelled looking at the ground closely.

"I don't know just find it!" The short and younger man said trying to hurry the black haired man.

"I'm trying! I don't see you looking!" The black haired man continued to look around for the object he'd dropped.

The brown haired one looked around, seeming to keep guard. "Hurry up!" he yelled at the other two men.

Taomi walked a little faster towards the lake and the men. _Should I call out to them?_ She sped up a little and stopped at the edge of the lake.

The men didn't seem to notice her standing them still looking for the object she held in her hands.

She sighed and coughed trying to get their attention. When they didn't turn to her she sighed and started walking towards them again. "Hey!" She said as she approached them.

The younger man turned his head quickly towards Taomi in shock. His eyes expressed his fear and shock as she approached. "Damn it he's here!" He started to back up but stopped and tilted his head.

Taomi raised her eyebrow and looked the young man dead in the eyes. "Can I help you?" she asked crossing her arms over her chest.

The younger man stood there staring at Taomi. "You're not Squalo…" he said.

She glared at the boy. "Who?" she said, getting irritated.

The two other men stood up and stared at her.

Taomi crossed her arms over her chest tighter, feeling self-conscious.

The brown haired man walked over towards her, his brown hair tied back into a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. "You're the one that was here two weeks ago…" he said looking Taomi over.

Taomi nodded her head and tighten her arms tighter.

The brown haired man held his hand out for Taomi to shake it. "Then maybe you can help us…we lost something here and we are trying to find it." He said posting a fake smile on his face.

Taomi looked at his hand and shook her head, patting the pocket on the inside of her jacket to make sure the object is still there.

The man frowned and put his hand down still staring at the white haired, red eyed girl standing in front of him. "What's your name princess?"

She glared and stepped back. "I was always told to not talk to people I don't know…" She glanced at the other two who were slowly approaching.

The black haired man grinned evilly and stepped up towards the brown haired man and started looking Taomi over, muttering to himself.

The younger boy kept his distance, clearly not wanting to get any closer then he already was. Taomi smiled at the young man. _You seem to be the smart one here…_ she thought looking between the three men. "What is it I can help with?" she asked backing up a little.

"You see we are looking for this bag that we dropped. It's a brownish red bag." The brown haired man held his hands up demonstrating how big the bag was and the shape of it

Taomi thought for a while and shook her head.

The brown haired man narrowed his eyes and grabbed Taomi's arm, not allowing her to get away. She pulled back as hard as she could, failing to force him to remove his grip. "Let me go!" She yelled.

The black haired man grabbed her other arm and yelled in her face. "Just answer us. You're acting like you know exactly what we are talking about."

Taomi grimaced at the pain and continued pulling away from both men. _M-maybe I should just give them the bag…_ she thought continuing to try and pull away. "I don't know what you're talking about." She attempted to blink the tears building in her eyes.

The younger boy walked up fast and put his hand on the brown haired man's shoulder. "I think you should let go…just because she doesn't look like Squalo doesn't mean she's not related to him…" he said tightening his grip on the man's shoulder.

The brown haired man gripped Taomi's arm tighter causing her to scream in pain and fall to the ground. The black haired man released her as she hit the floor and reached for her right arm, crying from the pain. She looked up with tears in her eyes, enraged. "What the hell have I ever done to you?!" she yelled gripping her right arm to suppress the pain.

The brown haired man let Taomi's arm go and he smiled softly down at her. "What's your name princess?"

Taomi looked up with tears in her eyes. "What was that for?!" she asked.

The brown haired man looked down and scowled. "What's your name?"

Taomi wiped the tear from her eyes. "My name is Taomi." She said looking at the ground.

"Taomi, that's a pretty name." The brown haired man leaned down and grabbed some of Taomi's hair and twisted it around his finger.

Taomi yanked head, pulling her hair out of his hands. "Do. Not. Touch. Me." She said glaring at him, feeling her rage build up in her.

The man blinked and grinned evilly. "A feisty one, eh?" he said reaching towards her again.

Taomi threw her hand up to protect her and saw she hand light up. She gawked and looked at the flame in her hand, noticing the dark sapphire blue flame covering her hands.

The three men looked at the flames and slowly backed up.

The black haired man stopped backing up and walked towards Taomi. "From the looks of it she doesn't know what's going on. Her flame will go out in a minute." He said watching Taomi's hands carefully.

She looked up at the three men. "W-what did you do to me?!" she yelled.

The younger man looked at the flame. "I've never seen a flame of that color…" he watched Taomi carefully.

She looked around at the men and stood up. "I-I don't know what's going on or what you did to me…" she looked at the flames that were beginning to dim on her hands.

The black haired man reached forward and attempted to grasp her arm again. She jerked back and threw a right handed punch into the man's cheek knocking him to the ground. She backed up and looked at the flames again. She noticed the flames didn't burn her hands; she turned them over trying to figure out where they came from.

The black haired man put his hand to his cheek, shocked that the little female could hit so hard.

Taomi gasped and looked at the red mark covering the black haired man's face. The black haired man stood up fully enraged and charged Taomi, grabbing her arm. He pulled his hand back to strike her.

She flinched; cover her face with her arm and bringing her knees to her chest. _This is going to hurt!_ She thought expecting the blow to hit her at any moment. Instead she felt something splatter on her face as she fell to the ground with an audible grunt. She gasped looking at her hand, noticing the flames were gone. She looked at the hand that was still attached to her arm and screamed loud and threw the arm to the ground. She looked up to see the black haired man gasping and withering in pain trying to hold the blood into his body with his dismembered arm.

"VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I!" a male voice yelled not too far from Taomi, causing her to cover her ears.

"Shit!" The younger man and brown haired man said in unison. They turned to run but were stopped by a blonde haired teenager with a tiara on his head.

"Ushishishishi…" the boy said throwing knives at the two that tried to flee. "The prince thinks that this is your last time playing this game." The two that attempted to flee fell to the ground lifeless as the black haired man slowly withered in pain on the ground.

"Belphegor…find what we came for." The loud voiced man said cleaning his sword off.

Belphegor looked at the loud man and grimaced. "The prince does not do a peasants job…" he said, searching the ground.

"Tch…" the loud man said looking at the black haired guy on the ground. He turned his head slightly looking around. "Where the hell are we?"

Taomi sat there staring at the loud man, noticing his long white hair and gray eyes. She shivered trying to remember where she'd seen him before.

Belphegor walked up and started to say something to the long haired guy but glance at Taomi, his mouth going slack. He closed it quickly and grinned. "Ushishishi…The captain has a female clone."

"VOOOOOOI! What are you talking about?!" the loud man said turning to face Taomi.

Taomi stood there tilting her head side to side trying to figure out where she'd seen this man before.

The loud man got quiet and walked towards Taomi, stopping mere inches from here and staring down. "Hmm…"

She looked up getting slightly frightened. "H-hi?" she said nervously.

The loud man looked down at her with a semi-vacant, semi-relieved look on his face. "What are you doing out here, woman?" He reached down and grabbed Taomi's arm, pulling her up, roughly, to her feet.

She yanked her arm out of his and backed up. "Y-you're with them aren't you?!" she said pointing to the three, now all dead, guys on the ground.

"VOOOOOOOOOI! Shitty woman! Don't you dare pair us with them!" He said getting angry.

Taomi backed up getting more scared. She bumped into someone and screamed. She turned around and looked up at the man she'd bumped into. "S-sorry!" She said to the black and brown haired man with the feather in his hair.

"Squalo….you failed to kill one…" he said, gripping Taomi's arms tight and staring down at her, his red eyes burning into her soul.

"Tch…shitty boss. She isn't a part of their group." He said his voice almost monotone like.

"Ushishishi, this woman was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time, Xanxus." Belphegor said eyeing Taomi up and down.

Taomi gulped and looked up at the man gripping her arm. "P-please let go…" She said trying to harden her voice.

Xanxus sighed and released Taomi, pushing towards Squalo causing him to automatically catch her. "VOOOOOOOOI! What the hell?!" Squalo said turning her around and keeping a grip on Taomi's arms tight.

Xanxus looked at Taomi with wide eyes. "This is unexpected…" he stepped closer to her and tiled her chin up to look at her better. "You look exactly like Squalo…only with red eyes." He turned her head left then right looking at her from every angle possible.

"VOOOOOOOOOI! What are you talking about?!" He turned Taomi around and inspected her face. His blank face said he knew exactly what they are talking about, the small female standing there in his arms staring right back at him. He frowned and looked over her head, seeming to be lost in thought.

"Shitty shark…you're not going to answer?" Xanxus said eyeing Squalo.

Taomi looked up at Squalo and started shaking.

Squalo looked down, seeming to try to hide the fact that he was semi-worried about the girl in his arms. He pulled her close, hiding her face in his chest and stared at Xanxus. "Leave the child be, Xanxus." He said in a warning tone.

Xanxus laughed hard and glared his eyes at Squalo. "Shitty shark has feelings for this little creature." He grabbed Taomi's arm and pulled her out of Squalo's grasp, forcing her to look at him. "She looks like you only with red eyes." He looked down and she followed his gaze. He picked her hand up and inspected it. "Interesting…" he muttered.

Taomi noticed small bits of the sapphire blue flame like things that were surrounding her hands mere moments ago.

Xanxus spotted the flames and looked at them. "What kind of flame is dark blue?" he said to himself looking at her hand. "Rain is blue…cloud is purple…it's a mixture between the two of them…Could be mist…Mammon!" Xanxus said.

"Mu…what do you want?" An infant with an indigo pacifier around his neck came up to Xanxus and looked at the girl. "Looks like a dark blue…sapphire…woman!" he said. "You have a flame…what type is it?"

She blinked and gawked looking at the talking baby. "W-what's a flame?" she asked tilting her head.

Mammon stared at Taomi. "She needs to be trained…she does not even know what a flame is…she has a type that's never been seen before." Mammon said getting off Xanxus' should and floating to Belphegor.

Taomi looked between the four men. She looked past Xanxus and saw two more standing there in the distance, one with brightly colored green and red hair and the other with umbrella looking things on his back. Taomi thought it weird he was carrying umbrellas around with him when there wasn't a cloud in the sky. She turned her attention back to the four men crowding her. "Is there something you need? If not I need to get back before Jeffery finds out I've been outside without his permission."

Squalo's eye twitched as he looked at the small female. He inspected her from a distance, noticing the small scar that barely showed itself at the edge of her collar on the back of her neck. He studied the scar carefully.

Taomi felt eyes on her back and turned to hide the scar, knowing that was what he was looking at. "I don't like repeating myself…" she said trying to rush the men away.

"May I ask who you men are and why you have…" A familiar voice said.

Taomi turned fast and spotted Jeffery standing a little distance away, alarmed. His eyes trained on Squalo. She opened to mouth to ask what the problem was but closed it immediately. She knew what he was thinking. The long haired man looked just like her. She was curious about the same thing.

Squalo tightened his grip on Taomi's arm and pushed her behind him, seeming to instinctively protect her. She looked up at the back of his head startled at the sudden movement.

Xanxus seemed to notice too, he turned his attention to Jeffery. "You have no business here." He said in a warning tone.

Mammon chuckled and floated towards Squalo. "Do not forget we are after what they stole from us." Motioning to the men on the ground with his tiny hand, he sighed.

"On the contrary, my good sir, you have something that is mine." Jeffery said smiling softly. The smile told Taomi something was wrong. He was acting different. He liked to look the person he was talking to in the eye, yet this time he kept staring at Squalo. She looked up to see Squalo's reaction. He was calm but she could tell he was fighting with something inside him.

"And what is that?" Squalo said through clenched teeth.

Jeffery motioned to Taomi. "Lady Taomi…she should be inside." He said glaring hard at Squalo.

Taomi tried to move towards Jeffery, but Squalo held her where she was. She looked up to tell him to let go. She shut her mouth at his expression. "She's coming with me." He said returning Jeffery's glare.

"I don't think I can allow that. She's not quite ready to leave." Jeffery said walking closer.

Squalo stiffened and pointed his left arm, with the sword on it, towards Jeffery. "VOI! I'm not asking if she's coming with. I'm telling you she's coming with me!"

Jeffery coughed and pushed Squalo's sword aside and standing face to face with him. "I'm respectfully asking you to return lady Taomi to my side immediately. Mrs. Red would not be too happy if she came home and Lady Taomi wasn't here." He said, his voice getting strained as he tried to keep his temper in check.

Squalo seemed to go stiffer as he pulled Taomi closer to his back. _Why am I protecting this girl? _He thought and his right hand tightened on the back of the girl's shirt. He kept silent and looked at the man standing in front of him. "I don't give a damn if she's going to be mad or not. This…" he thought over his words carefully. "Girl…is coming with me."

Taomi felt her anger silently building up inside of her. _I'm not an object…I can't be bought, sold or traded._ She thought about pushing away and going to Jeffery's side but something told her to stay where she was. She thought for a minute and looked at the baby. "You said you were looking for something those three stole from you…May I ask what it was?" She tightened her left arm closer to her chest, making sure the object and bag were still there.

Mammon looked over at her. "It's none of your business…" he said. He noticed her arm and floated towards her and Squalo, landing on his shoulder and looking down at Taomi. "Unless you took something from them…

Taomi looked at the baby with interest. She decided to play the game to see what this weird object was. "I might have…I don't remember exactly what it was they were looking for." She closed her eyes half way and smiled softly.

Mammon grinned down at her. "Cocky little girl aren't you?" he said holding his hand out. "Give me the bag and we won't hurt you."

Taomi laughed slightly and put her finger in his tiny little hand, shaking it. "Tell me what's in the bag and the color of the bag."

The baby was quickly growing tired of this game. He held his hand out again and made a duplicate of the bag Taomi hid in her shirt pocket.

Taomi gawked at the bag and reached for it. "H-how did you get that?!" she patted her chest, still feeling the object there.

Mammon reached his hand out to grasp the object.

Squalo pushed Mammon away with his shoulder. He glared hard at Mammon before turning his attention back to Jeffery. "She's in possession of something that belongs to us. She has a flame that's never been seen before." He said with venom in his voice.

Mammon backed up, following unsaid orders and floated towards Belphegor, landing on his head and sitting there. Taomi looked up at Squalo ready to yell at him, when Squalo looked down and into her eyes. He bent down and whispered in her ear. "Trust me, child. I can guarantee you do not want to be here anymore." She felt his breath on her ear and shivered subtly remembering the voice from a distant past.

She nodded and stayed put, logic telling her to listen to the stronger side. She tightened her grip on Squalo's shirt and held herself there. "I-I'm sorry Jeffery. I…I think I should go with him." She looked up at Squalo and smiled softly.

Jeffery blinked, seeming unfazed. "Do you think having a small and fragile female, such as her, in Varia is going to be a good idea, Squalo?"

Taomi decided to ignore what the men were saying and focus on the object in her shirt pocket. They continued talking for a while before Jeffery nodded his head and turned to leave. Squalo and the others didn't move to follow nor leave for Varia. She thought it curious and looked up at him to ask why they weren't leaving.

Squalo was looking down at her as she was looking tilting her head to look up, her bright red eyes seeming curious and peering into his gray eyes. "What's your name?" he said, attempting to soften his voice for the scared girl.

Taomi looked up with a smile on her face. "Taomi…" she said softly.

Squalo let a grin cross his face, seeming to recognize the name somehow. He turned his attention towards Xanxus. "Voi, shitty boss…" he pulled Taomi closer to his back. "Are we going to go get her stuff or is he bringing it to us?"

Xanxus ignored him and started walking away. "The girl is your responsibility. We could've easily killed her and taken the bag back with very little trouble." He said looking at Taomi with rage filled eyes. She flinched and moved farther behind Squalo, trying to hide from Xanxus.

Squalo glared at Xanxus. "Then how would we figure out this new flame? You don't think much, shitty boss."

Xanxus ignored him and started walking towards the green and red haired guy and the guy with the umbrella looking things on his back. Belphegor and the baby, Mammon, followed having a quiet conversation between the two of them. Squalo stood there, looking out of the corner of his eyes at Taomi, slightly worried. "Maybe this isn't…" he started then shook his head and started following Xanxus, pulling Taomi along with him gently.


	3. Chapter 3 Varia

Chapter Three:

Varia

Taomi rubbed the pain out of her shoulders, carefully wrapping them up in the process. Squalo had made her training twice as hard as normal. _He must be trying to kill me. _She sighed and tied the bandages in a knot right by her collar bone. She rolled her shoulders and her neck, tying to reduce the pain. She stood up and grabbed the unused wrappings and put them back in the box. She grabbed the box and headed towards the bathroom. Squalo had given her his room and taken the room across from hers.

"Taomi," Squalo said entering her room. He leaned against the wall and watched her. "How's your shoulder?"

Her hand automatically went to her shoulder and she smiled sweetly. "It hurts, but I guess it could be worse." She thought about the past few weeks she'd been here with him and his team. All the training she'd gone through. All the times she'd had to bandage her wounds she'd gotten. She looked up at Squalo and grinned. "I'm getting used to it."

Squalo continued looking at her, the pain that was normally on his face from having his only family member being with him in Varia was gone, telling her that he was getting used to the fact that he didn't have to protect her as much anymore. He nodded his head and grinned.

She zoned out, watching his lips move but hearing no sound coming from his mouth. By the time she realized he was talking he was already turning to leave. She shook her head fast and grabbed his hand so he couldn't leave. "I'm sorry. I didn't hear a thing you said. I was thinking of the tips you were giving me earlier."

Squalo sighed, clearly annoyed. "I said that we will be leaving for Japan tomorrow morning. Get your stuff packed tonight so we don't have to wait on you." He scratched the back of his head.

"Why are we going to Japan? And you should know I don't have a passport." She looked at his hand movement thinking of how long the flights going to be and being stuck on a plane with Bell and Levi.

"The ninth asked us to go and test the guardians." He shrugged seeming nonchalant.

Taomi chuckled and winced at the pain, her hand flying to her shoulder.

Squalo came closer and place his hands on both sides of her right shoulder, softly rubbing making the pain go away little by little. She sighed, silently thanking him for comforting her. She'd learned the first few days she was here that he didn't liked to be thanked for anything. He stopped and backed up slightly, looking down at her shoulder seeing the swollen muscles.

Taomi looked over her shoulder and grinned. "It doesn't hurt as much as it did."

He nodded and walked past her. "Pack your stuff tonight." He repeated. "We won't wait on you in the morning." He walked over towards the closet and pulled out a medium sized bag, laying it on the foot of the bed.

Following his orders, she walked to her dresser and grabbed a few of her uniforms and miscellaneous things and packed them in her bag, filing it up with things she thought that she'd need.

Squalo stood there, watching her pack her bags. _I don't know if I'm okay with this…_ he thought fidgeting. _Her and Bell…in japan…with Tsunayoshi and his guardians…_

Taomi looked over at him. "Something wrong?" she asked zipping the bag shut.

Squalo shook his head and looked out the window. "You'll be staying in Japan for a while with Bell."

Taomi thought for a minute. _These past two weeks haven't been that bad with him. But I've never been alone with him…Squalo, Mammon or Xanxus was always there._ "Will you be there?"

Squalo looked away. "I'll be there for a few days, yes." He looked back at Taomi and stared directly at her. "We are trying to figure out what kind of Flame you have…" he said remembering the sapphire blue flame Taomi conjured up.

Taomi looked at her bag. "Why do I have to stay with Bell? Why can't you stay there?" she mumbled feeling like a child begging her parents to let her have something.

"I'm not young enough to enter Nammimori middle school." He said clearly not wanting her to be in Japan and away from him.

Taomi nodded her head and grabbed her bag. "Then why don't we leave now?" she picked the bag up and winced at the pain.

Squalo took the bag from her and set it back on the bed, making her sit down next to it. "I want you to be able to relax tonight, which is why I cut your training short."

Taomi sat on the bed, obeying Squalo's unsaid order. She looked up with a fake smile, something she'd learned from Bell. "You don't want me to turn out like you, do you?"

Squalo looked at her with a frown on his face. "No. I want you to be able to train with a wide variety of fighters." He held her an envelope with papers in it. "This is a list of the tenth's guardians and all of their fighting styles." He held out a black haired boys profile first. "Yamamoto Takeshi. He's a sword master like me." Squalo looked away, seeming ashamed. "He beat me the second time we fought."

Taomi grinned. "A kid beat you? How embarrassing!" she teased.

Squalo glared at her. "He's Vongola, so I can't complain."

Taomi smiled and looked up at Squalo. "I think it'd be better if we left tonight rather than tomorrow. I can rest on the plane." She stood up and grabbed her bag again.

Squalo placed a hand on her shoulder and sat her back down. "I've already enrolled the two of you into the school. I'll be considered your guardian."

Taomi nodded her head.

Squalo turned his attention to her dressers, sorting through the extra clothes that sat in there. He turned his head slightly, looking at Taomi. "As for your title…I'll talk to Xanxus about you being considered a Varia member. That way you'll be paid so you can go shopping and what-not."

Taomi inspected her nails as he was talking, seeming in different. _I'm still not so sure about this._ She thought. She'd heard a lot about Tsuna's guardians. Especially one they called Kyoya Hibari. They told her that he defeated the first Gola Mosca with such ease and that he was a monster who was only concerned with protecting his beloved Nammimori. She flipped the files open to his profile. His cold, dead eyes stared at the camera threatening to kill anyone who angered him in any manner. She read through his profile a few times. Not much was known about him. She flipped the page and turned to Tsuna's mist guardians, Mukuro Rokudo and Chrome Dokuro. Chrome was merely a pawn used by Mukuro, who was technically the real mist guardian. He'd beaten Mammon, and made it look easy. He was feared in the mafia world, despite his fact that he hated the Mafia. She flipped the page again, showing Lambo, the lightning/thunder guardian, nothing much to know about him. He's a kid, why they chose him as a guardian she had no idea. She flipped the page again, showing Gokudera, Tsuna's storm guardian. She remembered Lussuria telling her that he would've beaten Bell if he hadn't have given up due to Tsuna's orders. She flipped the page again, showing Tsuna himself. She scanned through it, taking mental notes on his weaknesses and strengths, all his attacks and his relationships to others. She closed the files and placed them in her bag and zipping the pocket shut.

Squalo stood straight and looked at Taomi. "I'm not doing this to get you away from me, Tao…" he said attempting to clarify things.

Taomi smiled and hugged Squalo. "I know. As far as I know, I haven't given you a chance to want to chase me away." She hugged him tighter, refusing to release him.

Squalo grinned and wrapped a single arm around Taomi's shoulders. The most affection he's ever shown her. She looked up with a shocked smile on her face.

She released him and sat on her bed. Squalo turned towards the door and said over his shoulder, "Dinner should be ready by now."

She followed him towards the dining room, sitting between him and Bell at the table.

Xanxus sat there, looking at Taomi as she sat down. She'd always felt slightly uncomfortable when he was in the room. She looked at Mammon to keep from snapping about being stared at.

Lussuria came in and put the food on the table. He sat next to Mammon, directly across from Taomi. She smiled softly at him and waited for Xanxus to take his food. The first day she was here she started eating before Xanxus and got leveled glares from virtually everyone. Xanxus took his food, giving the rest of them the right away to eat.

Mammon continued staring at Taomi. She stared back, directly in the eyes. "Is there something wrong, Mammon?"

Mammon grinned. "No."

"Then why do you keep staring at me?" She asked, getting slightly annoyed.

His grin faded. Taomi looked over out of the corner of her eye and saw Xanxus glaring at Mammon. She turned her attention back to Mammon and saw he was slightly uneasy. _I'll just ignore him, eat and go relax in the bath._ She thought pushing the food in her mouth. She ate slowly, watching as they left one by one, leaving Mammon and her alone at the table.

Mammon coughed and continued to stare at her.

She glared, being stared at was one thing she hated. "Is there something you need, Mammon?"

He stayed silent and continued looking at her.

She looked up giving him a pointed glare that meant she was beginning to get really annoyed. "If you don't need anything then leave me be." She was used to being one of the last people to finish eating.

Mammon sat there and continued staring at her. He'd seemed to grow a little since she moved in. "You're going to Japan with Bell."

Taomi nodded her head.

"Why?" he asked.

"I don't know. Ask Xanxus why he wants me in Japan." She shrugged pushing the food on her plate around.

Mammon stood up and jumped off his chair and walked around the table to stand directly next to Taomi. "That's not what I asked. I asked why you're not fighting it."

She looked at Mammon with a confused look on her face. "I'm not stupid…I'm not going fight Xanxus."

"You could be stronger than him and not know it!" he said keeping calm.

"I have no intention of fighting Xanxus to see if I'm stronger than he is or not." Taomi said trying to keep as calm as possible.

"You're ignorant, Taomi."

"I'm not ignorant. I'm just not stupid." She stood up and pushed herself away from the table, causing it move two feet away from her. She walked away, annoyed at how softly he said her name and that he was making her seem like she doesn't know her position.

"Running away from your battles won't help anything." He said as she walked by.

"I'm not running for anything. I'm going to bed." She turned around and looked direct at him. "You bother me and I'll kill you." She spun around and stormed out of the dining room.

Mammon watched as she walked away, nothing how she acted like Squalo more than usual. _A female Captain…_ he thought. He walked after her, determined to find what makes her tick. "Looks like you're running away to me."

She ignored him and continued walking faster.

He grinned, knowing exactly what he was going to have to say, expecting to get a yelling at later by the boss and the captain. Mammon raised his voice. "You're acting more like your brother every day."

She continued ignoring him and walking towards her room, hoping to lose him.

Mammon frowned as she ignored him. _Hm…that didn't seem to work…_ He followed silently. "Why aren't you fighting going to Japan? It's clear you don't want to go. Unless…" He stopped talking and grinned evilly.

She stopped in her tracks, causing Mammon to hit her legs. "Unless…what?" he'd spiked her curiosity.

Mammon's grin widened. _Now I've got her attention. _"Unless you're not fighting because you want to be alone with Bell."

She gawked at him.

Mammon laughed as he looked up at Taomi.

Taomi felt her face heat up. She realized she was blushing and blushed more.

Mammon laughed louder and floated up looking her directly in the eye. "Do you like Bell?"

She shook her head fast and became frustrated with Mammon for accusing her of liking Bell. She felt the blush deepen as she thought about Mammon telling Bell.

_I was right…_ He floated back down to the ground and grinned. "Don't worry. I won't tell Bell…yet."

Her hands flew out trying to catch the little pest. "Oi, I'll beat you till you're black and blue!"

Mammon floated just out of range of Taomi's grasp, snickering to himself. "Mu…Save your energy princess you've got a long flight tomorrow." He floated down the hall and turned the corner.

Taomi growled obscene words as she stood there watching him float away. She gritted her teeth and balled her fist. She hated being teased by these people. The lower ranks were enough to set her off. She wasn't a seated officer like Mammon and Bell. The only respect she gained was of her being Squalo's younger sister or her fighting the people who disrespected her. _Disrespectful insolent little pest!_ She slammed her fist into the wall. She pulled her hand away from the crater she'd made noticing the burnt edges. She tilted her head and stepped closer inspecting the edges.

"Seems your flames respond to your anger…" Xanxus said standing behind her.

She spun around fast, looking up to stare directly at him. "X-Xanxus-sama…" She bowed politely and glanced at the wall. "I'm sorry. I…got angry at Mammon…"

"I saw." He pushed past her and looked at the crater in the wall and the burnt edges. "Have you come any closer to finding what sort of flame you hold?"

She shook her head and winced knowing she was going to regret punching the wall later. _I'll get you back for this Mammon. _She thought watching Xanxus carefully.

Xanxus thought for a second then turned to look at her. "Scum…what are you doing up?"

She gritted her teeth; being called scum was one thing she didn't like. "I was on my way to bed until…" she stopped knowing no-one liked a snitch.

Xanxus waited, continuing to stare at the small female in front of him. "Until…?"

Taomi shook her head and smiled sweetly. "We had some words. It's all over with now."

"Hm…" he looked at the wall.

"I should be off to bed now, bossu." She turned and walked towards her room.

Xanxus reached out, grabbing her arm and throwing her into the wall. "Why didn't you fight?"

She shook slightly looking up at the boss scared. She'd heard about his tempers, witnessed him getting mad, for no reason she saw, at Squalo. She glanced down at his hand which was firmly placed on her right arm. _Damn he's got a grip…_ She thought about the best way to get free, knowing that fighting him wasn't an option. "X-Xanxus…please let go." She asked looking directly at him.

His grip tightened. "You never answered my question."

She grimaced in pain and sighed, admitting defeat. "Because it was an order and orders are made to be followed."

He grinned and looked down at her. "If I ordered you to sleep in my bed tonight, you'd follow?"

She felt herself shiver harder and tried to pull away. "N-no…" her voice came shaky as she looked up at him.

He laughed slightly and glared at her. "It's an order, trash." He started walking towards her room, dragging her along.

She planted her feet on the ground and fought with everything she said. "I said no!"

Xanxus ignored her and continued pulling her along.

Taomi growled, feeling her anger swell in her. She concentrated it into her arm, imagining the flame building up and burning Xanxus' hand, forcing him to let her go. She opened her eyes to see the dark-blue Sapphire flame burning her jacket and Xanxus' hand like she'd imagined.

Xanxus dropped his hand and looked at the flame. "It burns…" he mumbled. "It's not rain…" Xanxus thought for a minute, staring at the brightly burning flame. "Could be cloud and mist…those are both similar to each other in color..."

Taomi stood there listening as he mumbled to himself. She shook her head and quickly jumped back out of range.

Xanxus stood still looking at the slowly fading flames on his hand. "But…where would you get the blue from?" A curious expression came across his face.

Taomi quickly darted past him and into her room closing the door quietly behind her. She fell to the floor shivering. She yanked her jacket off and looked at the burnt edges. "Mist and cloud…. From what I've heard they are similar in color…yet mine has a tint of black and somehow blue…" she muttered to herself getting more and more curious. _Seems like they are all set out to irritate me to see what my flame is…_ She sighed and stood up curling up fully clothed under her blankets.


End file.
